The bathroom faucet has some scaly stuff on it. I’ve tried scrubbing with a Dobie pad and soap, and with a Dobie pad and CLR. I thought the CLR would work for sure. How do I get this stuff off? Mrs. L.A. said she’d heard something about a crock pot?
Let the CLR soak. My suggestion is to pour some in a plastic cup and tape it to the faucet so the scaled area is under liquid. Let set a few hours, then attack with a Brillo pad.
The thing about CLR is that IIRC it says not to use it on brass. I’d use an SOS pad, but I think it would scratch the finish.
Years ago when I had well water my shower head got clogged.
I put vinegar in a baggy, attached it to the shower head with a rubber band, and let it soak overnight.
The shower head sparkled, and all the crud clogging the holes was gone.
The Brillo pad will scratch the metal. I don’t recommend this. Scrub with an old toothbrush. Don’t get the CLR on your hands else it will soon burn your skin. Wear gloves and eye protection. Note that using CLR a lot on chrome will eventually remove the chrome plating. Do this sparingly.
Soak some paper towels in vinegar and wrap them around the faucet. Let soak.
That has been mentioned on TV (Rehab Addict - Nicole Curtis). She recommends an old crock pot (preferably one from a yard sale - never one you want to cook food in again) and putting various painted hardware items in there with plain water.
Another vote for paper toweling to hold whatever in contact with the faucet.
And: Next time you are in a drugstore (or a real tool or hardware store), buy latex/nitrile ‘exam’ gloves.
Use them whenever handling stuff you don’t want on your hands.
And another vote here for vinegar in a cup or baggie taped around the faucet to keep the scaly gunk submerged.
Not really a solution for the OPs question but I can whole heartedly recommend this solution for removing paint from hardware. We bought an old Victorian home about 18 months ago. It is a huge house with lots and lots of doors which means lots and lots of hardware. I’ve now cleaned almost all of it this way. I bought a cheap $15.00 crockpot that is dedicated solely to this use. I throw in a couple handfuls of hinges, door knobs, strike plates, pocket door pulls, etc. into the pot. Let is cook on high for 6-8 hours and decades and layers of paint practically falls off. A little scrubbing with a nylon brush gets out any flecks left within some of the decorative detailing.
I love me some Nicole Curtis. No seriously, I love her and want her to love me… and finish restoring my house… while giving me crazy brown-chicken-brown-cow loving’ every night. Mmmm… Nicole.
(That last part was humor people. Yep, just mostly humor.)